Alexander’s superficial honesty did not make Leonardo feel any better. Instead, his glower only grew more intense.
Leonardo got up. “Summer will not come to work starting tomorrow.” His voice and face were equally cold as he said this. There was no room for negotiation. He was telling him what he wanted like a judge handing down a sentence.
Alexander said nothing. What more could he say?
Leonardo was not someone he could take on. When he returned to the country, he thought Michael would be the most-difficult-to-deal-with person. However, he was wrong; it was Leonardo.
Leonardo opened the door and saw Summer standing outside. She had been there for a while but had not been able to clearly hear what they said.
“I…” She wanted to explain that she was there to eavesdrop on their conversation, but before she could begin, Leonardo suddenly leaned forward to hug her. His embrace was a little too strong for her comfort; his arms, which were wrapped around her waist were hurting her, but it was not unbearable.
Summer took a deep breath, sensing that there was something off with his emotions. “What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.
Leonardo kept her in his arms for a few seconds, then let go of her. He held her hand and said, “Pack your stuff. You’re not coming anymore from tomorrow onwards.”
Summer was curious about what Leonardo and Alexander had talked about. Judging from Leonardo’s expression and somber emotion, though, she knew it was not the time to ask.
It did not take long for Summer to pack up. Carrying a paper box in her hands, she told him she was ready.
Looking down in silence, Leonardo took the box from her with one hand and held her hand with the other. Summer felt cared for. It was really thoughtful of him to carry the box for her, even if he was not in the best mood.
There was no one in the office right then except for the senior executives who stayed behind and had their separate rooms.
As they waited for the elevator, Summer remembered that Leonardo had a private elevator in Tip Top Entertainment. She looked over at him and asked curiously, “Have you ever waited for the elevator?”
He glanced over at her with a what-do-you-think look.
She thought… the answer was “yes”. Leonardo was the kind of person who had never, ever waited for the elevator until now.
A ding told them that the elevator had arrived. The doors opened and Summer lifted her foot to step in. As luck would have it, someone they knew came out of the elevator. It was Vicky.
There was a reason that Summer went back up to the office. She was worried that Vicky and Leonardo would bump into each other. It looked like her worst fear had become a reality.
She instinctively stood in front of Leonardo, then stepped back slightly, forcing Leonardo to take another two steps back.
“What’s going on?” he asked faintly.
The moment Vicky saw Summer, anger started to boil in her eyes. When she saw Leonardo, however, she took a one-eighty turn in her demeanor. Her voice became so coquettish that it induced goosebumps.
“Mr. Emerson, we meet again.” While she spoke, Vicky pulled the lapels on her jacket, as though she was unintentionally revealing the alluring cleavage under her low-cut, V-neck blouse.
Just then, the other elevator arrived. Without looking at Vicky once, Leonardo brought Summer into the other elevator.
Vicky’s expression froze. Unwilling to give up, she followed them into the elevator. Standing close to Leonardo, she said flirtatiously, “Mr. Emerson, I have claustrophobia. Could you please… hold me…” She spoke slower this time, and her voice got softer toward the end of her sentence like she was losing her breath.
Summer came up and shoved her away. She then gripped her arm to hold her up. “I didn’t know you had claustrophobia!”
Vicky’s expression nearly collapsed. She gritted her teeth and forced her words through her teeth in a voice that only both of them could hear. “Get away from me!”
“You’re trying to seduce my man, yet you want me to give way? Do I look like a fool to you?” Not to be outdone, Summer glared at her.
“Your man?” Vicky sneered. “Don’t forget that I was the one engaged to Leonardo first!”
“But I’m his wife now!” Summer started to think that Vicky had lost his mind.
She was legally married to Leonardo now. Even when he was still “Douglas”, he had expressly shown that he was not interested in Vicky. Yet, Vicky seemed to ignore all of it and was unwilling to give up.
“Oh, really? Where’s the marriage certificate?”
How on earth was she supposed to let Vicky see the marriage certificate there? But come to think of it, she did not remember ever seeing the marriage certificate.
“If you can’t show it, then get the hell out of here!” She stomped on Summer’s foot while she was not looking. Her stiletto, with its pointed base, could really hurt. Even with her snow boots on, Summer could not help but suck the pain through her teeth.
Leonardo had remained quiet, but his eyes were on Summer the whole time. He could have pushed Vicky away when she came close to him, but he enjoyed seeing Summer being protective of him. It made him feel good, so he left her to it. However, this time, his face darkened when Vicky played rough.
Despite the pain in her foot, Summer did not yield. She raised her leg, wanting to reciprocate Vicky’s “kindness”. Before she could do that, though, Leonardo had roped her into his arms. She looked up at him, feeling puzzled.
Leonardo raised his finger and pressed a few buttons on the elevator’s control panel before he got out of the elevator with Summer. The elevator doors then closed behind them. Summer looked back at him in bewilderment, and before she could figure out what happened, Vicky’s scream traveled from inside the elevator followed by some rumbling sounds.
“Did… Did the elevator fall?” Unsure of what happened, Summer looked at Leonardo.
The Jarrett Group building had a basement parking lot, and two more floors further down.
Leonardo just replied with an “Mm”.
Summer remembered that Leonardo had pressed some buttons on the elevator’s control panel before they exited. Could that have caused the elevator to crash downward? How could it be? She felt a chill run up her spine. It was better to provoke a petty man than to displease Leonardo, she thought.
When they returned to the car, Leonardo told her to take off her shoe. She was startled for a second before she realized what that was about. Leonardo wanted to take a look at her foot, which Vicky had stomped on just now.
“I’m fine.”
Ignoring what she said, Leonardo gripped her ankle, placed her leg on the upholstery, and took off her shoe.